Two Wildcats Listed Among Top-50 Players Heading into 2022
Kentucky opens the season ranked inside the Associated Press Top-25 poll for the first time since 1978 and expectations are at an all-time high in Lexington as Mark Stoops program looks to build on a ten-win season in 2021.
On Wednesday, ESPN released their preseason top-100 players, and two Wildcats were highlighted inside the top-50 players on the list in Will Levis and Chris Rodriguez Jr.
No.33 Will Levis
"After being used primarily as a runner at Penn State, Levis enters his second season at Kentucky projected to be one of the top quarterbacks taken in the 2023 NFL draft," ESPN wrote. "He's still a major threat to run the ball with his 6-3, 232-pound frame, but showed last season with his 2,827 passing yards and 24 touchdowns that he's equally effective at beating teams with his strong right arm."
Levis comes in as the eight overall quarterback and the fourth best in the SEC behind Bryce Young (No.2), Will Rogers (No.27), K.J. Jefferson (No.32).
No.41 Chris Rodriguez Jr.
The only question with Rodriguez is his status and whether or not he will miss any games after pleading guilty in July to a DUI charge. He has been one of the SEC's most productive running backs each of the past two seasons and needs 1,134 yards to break Benny Snell's school record of 3,873 career rushing yards. The 5-11, 224-pound Rodriguez has 26 career rushing touchdowns.
Rodriguez ranks as the eight best running back in the nation and the second-best running back in the SEC, according to the rankings.
The buzz around Kentucky's offensive success has centered around these two all off-season, and they certainly have lofty expectations to live up to heading into 2022.
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